Sridevi presents S Janaki her lifetime achievement award

Sistla Sreeramamurthy Janaki, known mostly as the legendary singer S Janaki was born on 23 April 1938. Sridevi presented the singer her lifetime achievement award back in 2007. 

More images and clips of the two in the archive. 

We honour the "Nightingale of the South" today on her 88th birthday. 

S. Janaki sang roughly 90–100 songs for Sridevi (across Tamil, Telugu, and a few Hindi films), mostly in the 1970s–1980s. This is based on the comprehensive list on her official/fan-maintained site (sjanaki.net), which catalogs dozens of Tamil and Telugu playback tracks where Janaki voiced Sridevi, plus a handful of Hindi ones noted separately. Exact counts vary slightly by source (as some films had multiple versions/dubs or solos/duets), but it’s a substantial body of work that helped define Sridevi’s early superstar image in South Indian cinema.

Sridevi and S Janaki in 2007

 Many of these are evergreen classics, especially the Ilaiyaraaja-scored Tamil hits from the late 1970s that blended melody, emotion, and Sridevi’s expressive screen presence. Telugu versions/remakes often adapted or reused tunes. Hindi songs were fewer but included some chart-toppers.

🎤 Most Popular S. Janaki Songs for Sridevi
(Chronological Order • Tamil, Telugu & Hindi Hits)

S. Janaki sang roughly 90–100 songs for Sridevi across Tamil, Telugu, and a few Hindi films (1970s–1980s). These are the most iconic and evergreen ones — perfect for any Sridevi fan!

Year	Film (Language)	Song	Music Director	Lyricist	Notes
1977	Kavikkuyil (Tamil)	Kuyile Kavi Kuyile	Ilaiyaraaja	Panchu Arunachalam	Soulful solo; early hit that launched the magical combo
1977	16 Vayathinile (Tamil)	Senthoora Poove	Ilaiyaraaja	Gangai Amaran	Massive rural romantic classic; still played everywhere
1978	Padaharella Vayasu (Telugu)	Sirimalle Puvva	K. Chakravarthy (Ilaiyaraaja tune)	Veturi Sundararama Murthy	Superhit Telugu version; concert favourite even today
1979	Dharma Yuddham (Tamil)	Aagaya Gangai	Ilaiyaraaja	M.G. Vallaban	Energetic duet with Malaysia Vasudevan; huge chartbuster
1980	Varumayin Niram Sivappu (Tamil)	Chippi Irukkuthu	M.S. Viswanathan	Kannadasan	Playful romantic duet with the great S.P. Balasubrahmanyam
1982	Moondram Pirai (Tamil)	Vaanengum Thanga Vinmeengal	Ilaiyaraaja	Vairamuthu	Dreamy poetic duet with S.P.B.; one of the most beautiful tracks ever

Other evergreen favourites often featured in Sridevi–Janaki compilations:
Manjakkulichi & Aattukkutti (16 Vayathinile), Ninaivo Oru Paravai (Sigappu Rojakkal), Kanne Pillavani (Aakali Rajyam), Gori Ka Sajan (Aakhree Raasta – Hindi) and so on.

Sridevi with legendary singer S Janaki: Icons Only!

Sridevi with S Janaki back in 2007. The association with Sridevi and Janaki Amma goes back decades. Back in 1977, she was the playback singer for Sridevi in the song Senthoora Poove for the Tamil film 16 Vayathinile, and the legendary singer won the National Award for it. 

It was one of (many) Sridevi's iconic films and the duo have been linked together in south Indian films for decades. Sridevi made a surprise appearance at the award show having left the movies a decade earlier. 

Sridevi presenting the award to the legend, often called the "Nightingale of the South", was a special moment 

S Janaki talks about Sridevi

Legendary singer S Janaki has spoken about the face on-screen where she lent her voice to in several Indian films; Sridevi. Sridevi's most memorable Tamil songs were sung by the iconic singer.